Leeds United’s breathing space in the Premier League survival race has shrunk considerably after the latest round of results pulled them closer to the relegation places.
West Ham’s win over Fulham and Nottingham Forest’s draw with Manchester City on Wednesday night have intensified the battle at the bottom of the table.
Leeds also failed to help their own cause, losing at home to Sunderland on Tuesday. That defeat leaves them only three points above the relegation zone with nine games still to play this season.
The defeat against Sunderland was riddled with controversial refereeing decisions, and VAR didn’t really help Leeds’ cause in the other games on Wednesday night.
Leeds United misery compounded by more VAR calls
The Whites needed both Nottingham Forest and West Ham to lose on Wednesday night to maintain their healthy lead above the relegation zone.
However, Forest held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at the Etihad, a result that no one saw coming, given the home side’s desperation for a win.
But the Midlands side could have easily lost the game at the end when Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels appeared to have brought down Erling Haaland inside the penalty box.
However, the referee didn’t think it was a foul inside the box, and the VAR agreed there was no clear and obvious error to change the original decision.
It was a dubious call, and Manchester City felt hard done by, the same that Leeds felt a penalty was not given against Pep Guardiola’s side at Elland Road last weekend.
VAR did overturn a penalty call against West Ham at Craven Cottage, and the Hammers went on to score a big 1-0 win over their London rivals.
A statement from the Premier League on the overturned VAR call read: “After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of a penalty to Fulham.
Referee announcement: ‘After review, Fulham 10 kicks the back of West Ham 11. Therefore, my final decision is a free-kick to West Ham’.”
The Whites are back in the relegation dogfight
Leeds United can feel genuinely frustrated with some of the refereeing calls in their recent defeats to Manchester City and Sunderland, but the results themselves have still taken a toll on the team’s confidence.
Only a short while ago, a six-point cushion above the relegation zone looked reasonably comfortable. That gap has now been reduced to just three points, meaning Leeds have very little room for mistakes with nine games left to play.
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |  Leeds United |
29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 48 | -11 | 31 |
| 16 |  Tottenham Hotspur |
28 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 38 | 43 | -5 | 29 |
| 17 |  Nottingham Forest |
29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 28 |
| 18 |  West Ham United |
29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 35 | 54 | -19 | 28 |
| 19 |  Burnley |
29 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 32 | 58 | -26 | 19 |
| 20 |  Wolverhampton Wanderers |
30 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 52 | -30 | 16 |
Wednesday night’s results only made matters worse. West Ham and Nottingham Forest both picked up unexpected points away from home, tightening the battle at the bottom of the table.
Leeds may still sit 15th, but the feeling of safety has quickly faded. Another disappointing league result after their FA Cup distraction could easily drag them deeper into trouble.
The Whites need to put a win on the board sooner rather than later, otherwise they risk being pulled right back into the bottom three as the season heads towards its closing stages.
